The Political Economy of Land Grabs in Malawi: Investigating the Contribution of Limphasa Sugar Corporation to Rural Development

Though a recent phenomenon, land grabs have generated considerable debate that remains highly polarized. In this debate, one view presents land deals as a path to sustainable and transformative rural development through capital accumulation, infrastructural development, technology transfer, and job creation while the alternative view sees land grabs as a new wave of neo-colonization, exploitation, and domination. The underlying argument, at least theoretically, is that international land deals unlock the much needed capital to accelerate the achievement of sustainable and transformative rural development in developing countries. It is against this backdrop that this paper examines the contribution of large scale land deals in Malawi to rural development by employing the political economy perspective using the Limphasa Sugar Corporation as a case study with particular focus on the nature and interest of the actors involved; the legal framework supporting large scale land deals; major individual and community benefits; and the extent to which these large land deals can indeed bring about sustainable and transformative rural development. The findings of this article demonstrate that large scale land deals present short term benefits to local communities such as capital for rural development; technology transfer and job creation in exchange for the priceless economic and social capital that local people depend upon; destruction of local social systems; deepening of local communities’ vulnerability to economic shocks; and the entrenchment of community dependence that may in the long run result in social and political unrest.     

Multiple-criteria decision-aiding framework to analyze and assess the governance of sustainability

Past and present disasters and scandals, such as the BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, the Servier Mediator (Benfluorex) scandal in 2009 and the Enron collapse in 2001, have uncovered weaknesses in governance issues. The authors argue that there is a need to develop methods and tools to diagnose and assess the governance of organizations with respect to Sustainable Development (SD). However, this task remains difficult due to the fact that it is difficult to appraise the quality of governance. The authors propose a protocol to diagnose and analyze the governance of SD and explore the use of multiple-criteria decision-aiding methods to achieve this task. Two aggregation methods to assess the global governance are proposed: (1) The identification of a final governance index for an Organization. This method helps in establishing a global diagnosis of the quality of the governance of an Organization with respect to SD challenges. The governance index is based on the calculation of three indexes: the partial opportunity index, the partial risk index and the partial equilibrium index. (2) The ranking of a set of Organizations according to their governance of SD. This method aims at assessing a set of Organizations based on a pairwise comparison according to a set of criteria that represents the seven domains of the ISO 26000 norm (ISO 26000—Guidance on social responsibility, 2010). This method is based on the outranking aggregation approach ELECTRE III. A practical example is used to illustrate two methods of governance assessment.     

浑善达克沙地退化草地的封育效果调查

封育保护是促进退化草地自然恢复的有效方法之一,为了研究实施京津风沙源工程措施以来浑善达克沙地沙质草场的围封效果,我们特对浑善达克沙地南缘地段的围封草场进行了调查,并取得了一些结果。     

高精度管道泄漏监测报警定位系统应用

高精度管道泄漏监测报警定位系统是基于管理中心平台上集成了次声波泄漏监测定位技术、最新的卫星定位技术和通讯技术为一体的管道泄漏监测系统.通过在孤东采油厂原油外输线的研发应用,能够准确的监测到原油管线泄漏点,为打击盗油行为,提供了有力保障.     

东洞庭湖湿地景观空间结构的完整性分析

选取2005年东洞庭湖湿地的遥感影像,利用GIS技术、MapInfo Professional7.0 SCP软件和景观结构分析软件FRAGSTATS,应用景观生态学的理论和方法,对东洞庭湖湿地景观空间结构的完整性进行了分析。结果表明：（1）区域内斑块分维数相差不大,但沼泽和库塘湿地受人为干扰明显且形状规则,其分维数趋近于1。（2）区域内湿地景观类型体系中各类湿地所占比例差异不大,分配较均匀;多样性较低,优势度不明显;整个区域的破碎化程度较低,但各类景观类型破碎化程度差异明显,相对破坏性较大。（3）由于人类垦殖影响,斑块间隙指数较高。上述分析,为东洞庭湖湿地资源的开发和保护提供参阅资料和依据。     

Exploration of Science Parks

Abstract

Science parks have developed greatly in the world, whereas empirical researches have showed that science parks based on linear model cannot guarantee the creation of innovation. Hi-tech innovation is derived from flow and management of information. The commercial and social interactions between in-parks and off-park firms and research institutions act as the key determinant for innovation. Industrial clustering is the rational choice for further developing Chinese science parks and solving some problems such as the lack of clear major industries and strong innovation sense, etc.     

Perceptions of Ranchers About Medusahead (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Taeniatherum caput-medusae</Emphasis> (L.) Nevski) Management on Sagebrush Steppe Rangelands

Medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae (L.) Nevski) is an exotic annual grass invading rangelands in the western United States. Medusahead is a serious management concern because it decreases biodiversity, reduces livestock forage production, and degrades the ecological function of rangelands. Despite the obvious importance of ranchers as partners in preventing and managing medusahead in rangelands, little is known about their perceptions and behaviors concerning medusahead management. We present the results of a survey of ranchers operating on sagebrush steppe rangeland in a three-county area in southeast Oregon encompassing over 7.2 million ha. The primary objective of this research was to determine if the presence of medusahead on a ranch influenced its operator’s perceptions and behaviors concerning invasive plant control and prevention. Ranchers operating on medusahead-infested rangeland were more likely to indicate increased awareness and concern about medusahead and the potential for its continued expansion. Ranchers operating on rangeland invaded by medusahead were also more likely to indicate use of measures to prevent the spread of medusahead and other invasive plants on rangeland, interest in educational opportunities concerning invasive annual grass management, and plans for controlling invasive annual grasses in the future. This study revealed an alarming trend in which individuals are less likely to implement important prevention measures and participate in education opportunities to improve their knowledge of invasive plants until they directly experience the negative consequences of invasion. Information campaigns on invasive plants and their impacts may rectify this problem; however, appropriate delivery methods are critical for success. Web- or computer-based invasive plant information and tools were largely unpopular among ranchers, whereas traditional forms of information delivery including brochures/pamphlets and face-to-face interaction were preferred. However, in the future web- or computer-based information may become more popular as ranchers become more familiar with them.     

Maintaining the Conservation Value of Shifting Cultivation Landscapes Requires Spatially Explicit Interventions

Fallow vegetation within landscapes dominated by shifting cultivation represents a woody species pool of critical importance with considerable potential for biodiversity conservation. Here, through the analysis of factors that influence the early stages of fallow vegetation regrowth in two contrasting forest margin landscapes in Southern Cameroon, we assessed the impact of current trends of land use intensification and expansion of the cultivated areas, upon the conservation potential of shifting cultivation landscapes. We combined the analysis of plot and landscape scale factors and identified a complex set of variables that influence fallow regrowth processes in particular the characteristics of the agricultural matrix and the distance from forest. Overall we observed a decline in the fallow species pool, with composition becoming increasingly dominated by species adapted to recurrent disturbance. It is clear that without intervention and if present intensification trends continue, the potential of fallow vegetation to contribute to biodiversity conservation declines because of a reduced capacity, (1) to recover forest vegetation with anything like its original species composition, (2) to connect less disturbed forest patches for forest dependent organisms. Strategies to combat biodiversity loss, including promotion of agroforestry practices and the increase of old secondary forest cover, will need not only to operate at a landscape scale but also to be spatially explicit, reflecting the spatial pattern of species reservoirs and dispersal strategies and human usage across landscapes.     

糠醛厂生产过程安全评价

对企业生产过程中的危险有害因素进行安全评价,是当前企业预防事故发生的有效手段。安全评价技术在国内外已有较长的发展历史,但关于糠醛生产过程的安全评价方法及研究还比较匮乏。在糠醛生产过程中存在着火灾、爆炸、中毒、噪声等危险因素,极易造成大量的人员伤亡和财产损失。根据某糠醛厂的实际情况,结合安全评价的基本程序,采用重大危险源辨识及事故树分析评价法,对危险有害因素进行辨识和评价。结果显示,糠醛厂存在着锅炉超压爆炸的危险,利用事故树分析法可以及时的找出预防途径,有针对性地提出安全改进的合理建议,从而进一步改善糠醛厂生产过程中的环境。评价的结果对糠醛生产企业进行安全决策、减少事故隐患,具有积极的指导意义。